29 comments:

You can muster nothing more than a rhetorical question that draws our attention to your unintelligible phrase "pompous values." I suspect you are an expert in pomposity--you are apparently an expert in pretty much everything else--so please enlighten us, professor: which of Gore's values are "pompous" and what makes them so?

Are your values "pompous" too?

Obviously they are not. Banish the thought! So please explain the difference.

He presents himself as a humble public servant with an eye on the greater good. But how humble could he be when he expects special treatment from his friends. This is the same old Washington insider stuff that this everyone in this country on both sides of the aisle are so fed up with. It's not that this might become a quid pro quo relationship, though that shouldn't be discounted. It just speaks of his disdain for common people. Doesn't he think other Sopranos fans had flights at that time? Too bad for them, I guess. That's what they get for not being rich and powerful. You would think that "The Goracle" could've predicted the ending anyway.

Normally, I wouldn't think that obtaining such a favor qualifies as a privilege. But, because Al Gore is a greatest walking hypocrite of all time, we should assume that everything he does is is hypocritical.

Normally, I wouldn't think that obtaining such a favor qualifies as a privilege. But, because Al Gore is a greatest walking hypocrite of all time, we should assume that everything he does is is hypocritical.

Awesome.

I thought about taking a similar angle in my little put-on, but I thought it would be over-the-top.

Ann, I just want to say you have my advance support if you ever decide to kick dave(c)(tm)(r)(*) to the curb.

As for AJD, I like having him around if for no other reason that the fact that "AJD" is a form of pig herpes. I'm assuming those are his initial so I like pointing this fact out repeatedly.

As for your question. No, I believe that this episode fits squarely within his values. I've come to the conclusion that his problem really isn't hypocrisy---in part because I listened to and heeded Gore's defendears when we enjoyed a good laugh at his electric bill.

But I do still believe that his lifestyle is an impediment to the delivery of his message, which neccessarily has populist components. The economic impact of aggressive carbon control is going to hit everyone's pocketbook, but the affluent feel it less, because their basic necessities are buried somewhere in their investment interest, not their paychecks.

"Nowhere on that page is the word "pompous" used." I read this quote from Gore -- "[W]hat politics has become requires a level of tolerance for triviality and artifice and nonsense that I find I have in short supply" -- and the blogger's comment -- " do I really want lessons in rising above triviality and artifice" -- and intended to sum up the gist of the blog post.

As for "violating values" being a grammatical error. Even it there's some reasons why values can't be violated, it's still not a grammatical error. Apparently, you mean a usage error. You know, using the wrong word. Which you did, trying to tell me I did... when I didn't. Loser!

So I guess Tipper Gore approves of The Sopranos and wanted to see if it ended with a bloodbath and watch that bloodbath with her husband on their private jet, drunk on their power and ability to get special treatment from Hollywood execs drunk with being close to powerful people.

I'm always interested in what pop culture Tipper approves of, since this is the woman who had police officers raid the home of a band member of The Dead Kennedys and put them on trial because their album came with a poster she didn't like by acclaimed artist H.R. Giger.

I know we're supposed to forget about that. I can't because my favorite band is The Ramones, and Joey Ramone sang about Tipper's assault on freedom in a song called "Censorsh*t" 15 years ago:

Ah, Tipper come on, ain't you been getting it on?Ask Ozzie, Zappa or meWe'll show you what it's like to be free

Including this line:

Hey, hey all you senators wivesBetter take a good look at yourown livesBefore you go preaching to me!

What with their utility bills and private jets, 15 years later it looks like Tipper and Al still need to take a good look at their own lives before they go preaching to me.

I haven't read Al's book, but apparently he gets self-righteous about television. This guy is so addicted to TV he can't just wait for the frequent reruns on HBO.

Last night on Matt Drudge's radio show Drudge was playing clips of Gore saying we now have less than 10 years before we're all screwed by global warming (Drudge wondered if it's really 7 years now, because he recalled Gore saying we had 10 years 3 years ago too).

Gore says we have less than 10 years to save the world and we must all change our lifestyles. But there he goes, still zipping around in his jets, and when he needs to feel like a cool cat and be the first person on earth to see a hyped up TV show he has his servants make special trips to the airport to bring it to the King. Ah well, I'll ride my bike tomorrow and offset it.

It's the little things of raw privilege that Ruling Elites demand that gall the most. 400 dollar haircuts. You getting to call your Congressman a fuckhead and threatened with arrest when he cuts in the Moter Vehicle Dept license&registration line for a little VIP treatment those unwashed proles waiting in line for an hour don't get.

The Sopranos preview tape was a gold standard of clout in Hollywood. It was denied to HBO execs, critics. Only the very upper, uppercrust of the connected got to see it early.